August 5, 1997: Apple gets into a standoff with Power Computing, a maker of Macintosh clones. A very public clash at the Macworld Expo in Boston marks the beginning of the end for Apple’s mid-1990s strategy of licensing the Mac operating system.
“If the [Mac] platform goes closed, it is over,” predicts Power Computing CEO Joel J. Kocher of Apple’s strategy. “[It’s] total destruction. The kiss of death.” Of course, things don’t turn out exactly like that for Apple…
August 4, 2008: In an internal memo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs owns up to mistakes in launching MobileMe, spinning the company’s bungled cloud service rollout as a learning opportunity.
“It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store,” Jobs writes in an email to Apple employees. “We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence.”
August 3, 2009: Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple’s board of directors amidst increasing competition between the two companies.
The root of the problem? The growing feud over Android’s encroachment on iOS as the two smartphone platforms battle for dominance.
July 30, 1979: Apple engineers begin work on the Lisa computer, the company’s first machine to come with a graphical user interface and mouse.
Incorporating technology Steve Jobs saw at Xerox PARC, the Lisa looks like a surefire hit for Apple. Things don’t turn out exactly like that, however.
July 27, 1955: Joanna Hoffman, who will join the original Macintosh and NeXT teams and become Steve Jobs’ first right-hand woman, is born in Poland.
Six months younger than Jobs, the marketing executive is one of the few people willing and able to stand up to the oftentimes-fierce Apple co-founder during the first part of his career.
July 24, 2006: The world gets its first glimpse of Apple’s new wireless Mighty Mouse, a multibutton Bluetooth device with super-accurate laser tracking.
Photos of the accessory come to light through an Apple filing with the Federal Communications Commission. Apple will launch the device the very next day.
July 21, 1999: The iBook, Apple’s colorful clamshell laptop that’s a hybrid of the iMac and the PowerBook, arrives and launches a Wi-Fi revolution.
Apple’s new AirPort networking card is the key component that delivers cable-free internet access to the masses for the first time.
July 20, 2007: Just a month after the original iPhone goes on sale, the first third-party app gets compiled and launched for the new platform. The Hello World app serves more as a proof of concept than a serious tool. However, it clearly demonstrates that third-party apps will become a cornerstone of the new iPhone economy.
It’s a shame Apple doesn’t get the memo.
July 17, 2002: Apple ships a new super-sized iMac G4 with a 17-inch widescreen LCD display that becomes the envy of most computer users at the time.
“The best consumer desktop just got even better,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs of the company’s new all-in-one computer in a press release. “Having this gorgeous 17-inch flat screen floating in mid-air right in front of you is simply breathtaking. There’s nothing like it in the PC world.”
He wasn’t wrong!
July 13, 2006: Apple releases its first activity tracker, the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, which combines Cupertino’s popular music player with a smart pedometer.
The product marks Apple’s first step toward the kind of mobile health-tracking initiatives it will pursue in the following decade — most notably through its iOS Health app and the Apple Watch.
July 12, 2010: The iPhone 4 suffers a major blow when respected trade publication Consumer Reports says it can’t, in good faith, recommend the new Apple smartphone. The reason the magazine refuses to give its vaunted “recommended” label to the previously top-ranked device in its devastating iPhone 4 review? A little Apple scandal called “Antennagate.”
July 11, 2008: The iPhone 3G goes on sale. Expectations for the smartphone sequel run high, and Apple delivers with the addition of GPS, faster 3G data and a higher-quality build. The iPhone 3G launch also brings a new mobile operating system packed with features.
Apple’s second smartphone runs iPhone OS 2, which introduces a better Mail app, turn-by-turn navigation and a little something called the App Store.
July 10, 2008: Apple launches the App Store, an online hub that lets iPhone owners browse and download apps made by third-party developers. Transforming the iPhone from a locked-down platform to a generative one, the App Store means that every iPhone user can have his or her own “killer app” depending on the software they want — from social networking to composing music to playing games.
One of the most significant launches in Apple history, the App Store opens up a whole new revenue stream for Cupertino. It’s hard to believe that Steve Jobs was originally dead-set against it!
July 8, 1997: Steve Jobs begins his path to becoming chief executive officer of Apple, after former CEO Gil Amelio departs the company following a massive quarterly loss. Also leaving Apple is Ellen Hancock, executive vice president of technology.
To run Apple’s day-to-day operations, CFO Fred Anderson takes over until a new CEO can be found. Jobs, meanwhile, moves from strategic adviser to take “a more expanded role with Apple’s board and executive management team,” according to CNN Money.
Cupertino’s turnaround has started!
July 7, 2011: Three years after its launch, the App Store passes 15 billion downloads.
This represents a major milestone for Apple. The App Store offers more than 425,000 apps, which give the iPhone and iPad incredible capabilities and add to the devices’ wide appeal.
July 6, 1997: Following a massive quarterly loss for Apple, board member Edgar S. Woolard Jr. calls CEO Gil Amelio and informs him that he needs to step down. “You’ve done a lot to help the company, but the sales haven’t rebounded,” Woolard says.
Steve Jobs, who recently returned to the company he co-founded, denies being responsible for Amelio’s ouster. However, the move results in Jobs becoming Apple CEO for the first time. Now it’s time for a real turnaround!
July 4, 1985: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs visits Moscow for the first time, with the aim of selling Macs to the Russians. During his two-day trip to the Soviet Union, Jobs lectures computer science students, attends a Fourth of July party at the American embassy and discusses opening a Mac factory in Russia.
He also reportedly almost runs afoul of the KGB by praising assassinated Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky.
July 3, 2001: Apple suspends production of its Power Mac G4 Cube, one of the most notable busts in Apple history — and the first major flop following Steve Jobs’ glorious return to the company in 1997.
Although Apple leaves the door open to possibly reintroducing the remarkably clear G4 Cube at a later date, this never happens. The stylish computer is superseded by Apple’s upgrade to G5 processors and then to Intel Core-based Macs.
July 2, 2010: Apple opens up about “Antennagate,” issuing a letter that addresses iPhone 4 reception problems publicly for the first time.
In a letter addressed to iPhone 4 users, Apple admits to being “surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and … immediately began investigating them.” However, the company’s findings do little to dispel the growing Antennagate controversy.
July 1, 2012: Apple shuts down its MobileMe web service. Launched in 2008, the subscription-based suite of online services and software offered features like push email, data storage, Find My iPhone, a photo gallery, chat facilities and an online calendar.
After letting the service limp along for four years, Apple finally decides to pull the plug, pushing users to switch to iCloud. The company gives MobileMe users until the end of July to remove their data from the service.
June 29, 2007: The first iPhone launch date arrives, giving excited Apple fans lined up outside stores their first chance at owning the game-changing smartphone. The queues that greet the device around the world prove that Cupertino is onto a good thing with the smartphone, first shown off by Apple CEO Steve Jobs earlier in the year.
The launch-day fervor offers a glimpse of just how revolutionary the iPhone will become.
June 27, 1997: The last day of another disappointing quarter brings an end to CEO Gil Amelio’s 500 days running Apple.
The $56 million quarterly loss contributes to an overall deficit of $1.6 billion during Amelio’s reign. The slump effectively wipes out every cent of profit Cupertino earned since fiscal 1991. After losing money for six out of the last seven quarters, Apple seems past the point of no return.
June 26, 2008: A year after the first iPhone was released, Apple sends an email to developers calling for smartphone software to be distributed in the forthcoming App Store.
Coders around the world greet the news with excitement. They hurry to submit their iPhone apps and get in on the looming App Store gold rush. Many rake in small fortunes when the App Store goes live less than a month later.
June 23, 2003: Apple launches its gorgeous Power Mac G5, a powerhouse desktop computer with a perforated aluminum chassis that earns it the affectionate nickname “the cheese grater.”
Starting at an affordable $1,999 (nearly $3,500 in today’s money, adjusted for inflation), the Power Mac G5 is the world’s first 64-bit personal computer. It’s also Apple’s fastest machine yet.
June 22, 2009: Steve Jobs returns to work at Apple, a couple months after undergoing a liver transplant as part of his treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Although Jobs has been steadily getting back into work for the past several weeks, the news is made official when a quote from him appears on a June 22 press release about iPhone 3GS sales. An Apple employee also alerts the media after spotting Jobs on campus.
With his return confirmed, everyone wants to know how long Jobs will continue to lead Apple.